Ava Allan started modeling when she was a child, which eventually led to commercials. "I still do commercials, obviously, but when I turned 10, I got into film and television," she told Afterbuzz TV about where her desire to act came from. "I started falling in love with it; I guess you could say [it was] my first job. I know I was young, but I liked it, and I even enjoyed it more when I got to be on more sets." After uncredited appearances in "Leverage" and "It's Complicated," her first official role was in the Nickelodeon comedy "True Jackson, VP," starring Keke Palmer and Robbie Amell.
The series focuses on 15-year-old True Jackson (Palmer), who becomes the vice president of youth apparel at major fashion company MadStyle after she impresses its CEO, Max Madigan (Greg Proops). Amanda Cantwell (Danielle Bisutti) plays MadStyle's VP of Women's Apparel, and she views Jackson as a rival. Allan plays Young Amanda in flashbacks.
Allan's first appearance sees her with no lines, dressed up as a milk carton, but the second time we see her is when Amanda shows up at True's slumber party. As the two become more competitive playing a board game, we see a flashback showing Young Amanda flipping over a board game, declaring, "Nobody beats me; I'm the best!" In the show's series finale, Amanda falls into the Fountain of Youth and emerges permanently as Young Amanda.
